Teaching Speaking

Reasons for teaching speaking

  1. It provides rehearsal opportunities 2. It provides feedback for both teacher & students 3. It activates various elements of language in their brains 4. Fluency of words & phrases 5. Foster better speaking 6. Speaking as skill 7. Classrooms need to become culture of speaking

Speaking sequences

Example 2: Role-play

Example 3: The portrait interview

Example 1: Photographic competition

  1. Put on a criteria & explain it 2. This will develop long discussion 3. Activation of all the languages they know 4. Use of words & phrases
  1. Simulation gives a chance for real-life rehearsal 2. Role-plays allows to hide behind the character 3. It allows them to express themselves more freely
  1. How portraits can provoke questions / answers 2. It provokes speaking & interaction 3. It activates English knowledge

Discussion

  1. Spontaneous & planned discussions provoke use of fluent language 2. Students should be given pre-discussion rehearsal time

More speaking suggestions

Favorite objects

Famous people

Telling stories

Balloon debate

Information-gap activities

Student presentations

Surveys

Moral dillemma

  1. Describe & draw, find the differences
  1. Sequence of pictures 2. Re-construct the story by describing the pictures 3. Re-tell stories based on personal experience
  1. Discuss the favorite objects 2. Give their details

Meeting & greeting

  1. Gather information & structure it accordingly 2. Offer models to help them
  1. Interview with each other 2. Design a questionnaire 3. Popular activity called "Find someone who.... 4. List activities & ask them to the students

Correcting speaking

  1. Constant interruption from the teacher destroy the purpose of speaking 2. Note down the details 3. Correct students' pronunciation mistakes 4. Deal with mistakes without pointing any one student 5. Gentle correction 6. Talk to students 7. Different activities mean different different correction behavior

What teachers do during a speaking activity

  1. Some teachers get involved & participate 2. They intervene when the activity does not go smoothly 3. Prompting but sensitively